The Long-Term Effects of the Printing Press in Sub-Saharan Africa

Julia Cagé and Valeria Rueda
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Julia Cagé

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2016, vol. 8, issue 3, 69-99

Abstract: This article investigates the long-term consequences of the printing press in the nineteenth century sub-Saharan Africa on social capital nowadays. Protestant missionaries were the first to import the printing press and to allow the indigenous population to use it. We build a new geocoded dataset locating Protestant missions in 1903. This dataset includes, for each mission station, the geographic location and its characteristics, as well as the printing-, educational-, and health-related investments undertaken by the mission. We show that, within regions close to missions, proximity to a printing press is associated with higher newspaper readership, trust, education, and political participation.

JEL-codes: L82 N37 N77 N97 O17 O43 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
Note: DOI: 10.1257/app.20140379
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (49)

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Related works:
Working Paper: The Long-Term Effects of the Printing Press in Sub-Saharan Africa (2016)
Working Paper: The Long-Term Effects of the Printing Press in Sub-Saharan Africa (2016)
Working Paper: The LongTerm Effects of the Printing Press in SubSaharan Africa (2014)
Working Paper: The LongTerm Effects of the Printing Press in SubSaharan Africa (2014)
Working Paper: The LongTerm Effects of the Printing Press in SubSaharan Africa (2014)
Working Paper: The long Term Effects of the Printing Press in Sub Saharan Africa (2013)
Working Paper: The long Term Effects of the Printing Press in Sub Saharan Africa (2013)
Working Paper: The long Term Effects of the Printing Press in Sub Saharan Africa (2013)
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